BOX 1—

Common Types of Interpersonal Violence in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Types of Interpersonal Violence	How It Has Heightened During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Isolation	This form of psychological mistreatment involves minimizing or restricting access to other people13 (e.g., prohibiting family and friend visits). The abusive person may control who may visit (or be socialized with) as a means of control and manipulation. They might not curtail their own social or employment activities and hold the rest of the household to a more stringent standard.16
Psychological and emotional abuse	The perpetrator may fake being sick with COVID-19 and threaten to infect the survivor, leading to their extended isolation. Or the perpetrator could fake having contracted COVID-19 and pretend to spread it to the survivor.13
Coercion, threats, and intimidation	The perpetrator can use COVID-19 mandates, news and media stories, and research to increase the survivor’s fear of leaving the house and becoming sick or infecting others, thus keeping survivors isolated at home.3,4 A perpetrator may prohibit family members’ access to COVID-19 vaccines or boosters (by, e.g., citing false medical or religious justifications), thus potentially limiting independence, employment, education, travel, and entertainment access for survivors.
Economic abuse	Perpetrators may threaten to cut funding or medical support to survivors. Job losses could prevent survivors from amassing savings or resources to leave home, perpetrators could make survivors borrow money for them from family or friends or keep them from working by consistently exposing them to COVID-19.12 Women have been disproportionately affected by pandemic-related unemployment.15
Child neglect and abuse	Children are at a higher risk for maltreatment, as families may not have the funds or resources to buy food or essential medications.3 Adults may take out their frustration and anger on their children in violent ways. Children lack typical protective or escape outlets, such as attending in-person school or worship services.1,15
Immigration status–based abuse by coercion and threats	Partners may threaten survivors who are immigrants with being deported or destroy critical documents if they become sick, need medical care or hospitalization,17 or seek public health resources.
Sexual abuse	Reduced or lack of access to contraceptives or birth control is a sexual violence–related risk factor that could result in forced unwanted pregnancies stemming from coercion or rape,16,19 especially if the woman feared seeking medical help during the COVID-19 pandemic and governmental distribution of contraceptives has limited women’s access.21,22
Technological abuse	Those who have traditionally accessed in-person services may not have had access to technological devices or may have lacked privacy in the home while online.15 Abusive parties may have weaponized this lack of privacy with strategies such as surveillance and ghostwriting, thus resulting in technological abuse.12,16,23
Physical abuse	Physical abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic increased, as it normally does following natural disasters.1 The stay-at-home mandates and closed businesses correspond with an increase in substance use and untreated mental health symptoms, leading to more physical abuse. Pharmacies, marijuana dispensaries, illicit drug dealers, and liquor stores remained opened during the stay-at-home mandates.15